


Evil Author Day 2017 'After The Rain'

by Daisy_May



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 03:17:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9800459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisy_May/pseuds/Daisy_May
Summary: It never rains, but it pours.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A short Evil Author Day offering.

The atmosphere was tense in the extreme. Military Commander, Colonel John Sheppard, was resolute and unsmiling as the head of the expedition, Dr Elizabeth Weir, sighed and tried once again to make her point.

'John, this is a civilian expedition and I’m not going to allow civilians to learn to shoot, let alone carry guns when they go off world. What sort of image would that give to our trading partners when we arrive loaded with weapons, to say nothing of occupants of the new planets we visit.'

'The scientists themselves have requested weapons training—‘ he began before being interrupted by Kavanagh, the chief scientist.

'I support Dr Weir unconditionally. Scientists should not be going off world if there is any danger to them. Indeed I don’t think scientists should be going off world at all.'

'And how do you think we should investigate, and discover even, new technology without a scientist on a team?' John replied tiredly, having already gone around this argument several times already.

'There is more than enough to discover on the city alone without having to go off world,’ said Kavanagh in his high handed manner which grated on John’s every nerve.

'I agree.' Elizabeth pursed her lips, thinking before she added, 'in fact I’m ending all off world activity for the foreseeable future.’

John gaped at her while Kavanagh smiled triumphantly.

'Thank you Dr Weir. I’m sure that all the scientists will sleep much sounder knowing they won’t be forced to go off world, and that you have their well being at the front of your mind.'

'You are welcome Dr Kavanagh,' replied Elizabeth graciously.

'But what about the alliances we’ve already set up and the agreements we’ve made with worlds for food supplies?' asked John. 'These people are relying on us to help them and protect them against the Wraith…'

'Who one of your soldiers woke up,’ interpolated Kavanagh.

John narrowed his eyes.

'That was an accident as you well know. Colonel Sumner was doing what any other soldier on this base would have done and he—‘

'Murdered one of his own men and put the whole galaxy in mortal peril as well as endangering this expedition. It’s just a shame the man won’t stand trial for his actions when we reconnect with Earth,' Kavanagh finished with a smirk. John opened his mouth to defend his late commander and friend but Elizabeth spoke first.

'It’s no use arguing Colonel Sheppard. I’ve made my decision and it’s final. We will manage for food with the supplies we have and what the Athosians on the mainland can provide. We may have to ration ourselves but it’s much safer for everyone if we all remain on Atlantis until we are able to contact Earth.'

'And how are we going to be able to find a ZPM if we can’t go off world?' John inquired.

'We have a city the size of Manhattan to search. I’m sure we’ll come across the ZPMs or even the information on how to create one ourselves,' Elizabeth replied.

'And in the meantime I shall continue with my work on recharging the empty ZPMs we have.' Kavanagh spoke in the nasal whine that John hated so much. 'I believe I’m almost at a testing stage, if only the people on my team would pull their weight,' he finished with a frown.

John forebear saying that he knew the scientists on Kavanagh’s team were working up to twelve hours a day to keep up with his demands for information he had no way of using. Peter Grodin had been a much better lead scientist who knew how to encourage and develop his people, unlike Kavanagh - who Elizabeth had appointed after Peter had died in an explosion caused by Kavanagh trying to use a piece of Ancient technology he had been told not to touch. Elizabeth had accepted Kavanagh’s explanation that Peter had been to blame, but speaking to the other scientists John had discovered that Kavanagh had ignored all the warnings Peter had given him and gone ahead with ‘testing’ the machine which had resulted in the death of two scientists and injury to three more. Kavanagh, as was only expected, had left the others to carry out the most dangerous part of the test and had himself retreated to safety before activating the machine. Elizabeth, however, had been only too pleased - although she hid it very well - to lose Dr Grodin who had argued with her over several issues, and to appoint the ‘yes man’ Kavanagh in his place as Chief Scientist. Kavanagh had supported her decision to refuse permission for weapons training for the scientists as he was too fearful to go off world himself. The other scientists who were members of off world teams had gone to John to request weapons training, arguing that they should be able to defend themselves at least a little and not just rely on the soldiers on their teams. Both Elizabeth and Kavanagh had seized the opportunity to ban all off world activity, arguing that it would be too easy for the Wraith to discover the home planet of Atlantis and try to attack them. They refused to acknowledge that the Wraith had known about Atlantis before the Ancients had sunk and evacuated the city, and indeed had held the city under siege. With the longevity of the race, there were undoubtedly some Wraith who themselves had besieged Atlantis and would have no problem in recalling where the city had been hidden.

John shook his head to clear his thoughts.

'I’d like to record the fact that I disagree with this decision. We need our off world alliances to supply us with food and we have a moral duty to offer what support we can to the people of this galaxy who have suffered under the Wraith for thousands of years as a result of what our ancestors did or indeed failed to do.'

Kavanagh’s lip curled.

'Your ancestors certainly. I’m happy to say I don’t have a single cell of Ancient DNA in me. I’m a pure human, not tainted like some.'

'The Ancients were a noble race of people, Peter. I’m extremely interested in their work on ascension in particular, but I have to agree that some of their experiments had some unfortunate results,' Elizabeth conceded self-righteously.

'Unfortunate!' John exclaimed 'Those fucking arseholes created a race of creatures who eat people!'

Elizabeth held up her hand. 'We’ve gone over this argument many times and you know I won’t agree with you. I think we have spent enough time on this little problem. You’re dismissed.’

John stared at her. He knew she wouldn’t change her mind on either her decision to end off world activity or on her view of the Ancients. She seemed to hold them in awe and admiration, translating pages and pages of their treatise on ascension in the hope of discovering their secret for herself. The information they had pulled from the Ancient database on ZPMs and other technology still lay untranslated, waiting until Elizabeth had some ‘spare time’ to work on it. It had been a major concern of John’s late CO, Marshall Sumner and he had tried numerous times to persuade and even force Dr Weir to turn her attention to work that would benefit the whole expedition, and indeed Earth when they finally made contact with them. It had been to no avail and had only increased the tension between the head of the expedition and the military contingent. After Marshall’s untimely death off world to a pack of Wraith worshippers, Weir and Kavanagh decided to limit off world missions, and when the other scientists, some on gate teams and some not, had approached John regarding weapons training for themselves, the demented duo - as John had taken to calling them in his head - had decided to end all off world activity, siting security and protection as their reasons.

He rose to his feet, stood to attention and stared straight into Weir’s eyes as he saluted, about turned and left the meeting room. As he emerged from the room several pairs of eyes turned to him questioningly. It was no secret that John and Marshall had gone up against Weir time and again in their efforts to serve and protect the expedition. Weir rarely left her office or the adjoining meeting room these days. In the beginning she was as excited as everyone else at actually living in the fabled city of the Ancients, but the sheer number of problems and crises the expedition had experienced made her withdraw more and more into her own company and studies. She barely spoke to anyone other than Kavanagh now, preferring to have her meals delivered to either her office or her rooms and this had unnerved the expedition members. It was hardly surprising therefore that Marshall and John became the go-to-guys for everyone and in doing so became the intermediaries for the entire expedition - bar the new head scientist.

Radek Zelenka, head of the engineering department, came to meet John who was making his way back to his own office.

'I take from your face that you have bad news.'

'You could say that,' John replied wryly. 'She’s banned all off world activity.'

Radek stared. 'All off world activity? What about food supply? And the arrangements we have made for repairing the generators on PX4 934?'

'All off world activity. We’re going to live off our supplies and anything the Athosians can spare us. We’d better make a new rule about hoarding because it won’t be long until we start to run out of a number of supplies.'

'We have already run out of coffee. Is good Rodney McKay did not join expedition as he is unable to work without coffee.'

It was always a sure sign that Radek was getting either excited or agitated when his english slipped into a shorthand form, John thought to himself. He put his hand on Radek’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

'Rodney McKay? Where have I heard that name before?'

'He was approached as Head Scientist but had just engaged to Sammantha Carter when expedition being formed. When she refused to leave Earth, he decided to stay with her. Peter was appointed instead although that caused own problems as he was English and not American. Same reason I am not appointed head scientist. Although America is my home for many years, still they see me as foreign and therefore untrustworthy.'

'No, Radek!' John protested as he thought open the door to his office. 'I’m sure…'

'Is fact,’ Radek said simply. 'For many years I had dreamt of living in America, very certain that there I would be treated as the educated man I know I am. After short time of living there, I realise I am still mistrusted and feared just as I was in my own Prague. No matter that I dedicate my life to helping America. Always will I be foreigner to them.' He shrugged his shoulders. 'Atlantis, America, always a foreigner. But I still prefer to life in Prague where fear was on every corner. Good day, John. I will see you no doubt at dinner.'

'Bye Radek.' John smiled at the messy haired Czech he had come to know and admire. Radek hated to go off world, but his engineering skills were a valuable trade item and he had helped no small number of communities in Pegasus by his willingness to mend broken generators and water systems in exchange for food supplies.

John rested his head in his hands for a moment as he thought desperately for ways to keep the people of the expedition safe and well fed.


End file.
